Fire alarm box

ABSTRACT

An improved alarm box for signaling an alarm at a fire station or other remote location is disclosed. Such alarm boxes generally have a lever actuated signaling mechanism enclosed within the box, an inner door enclosing the signaling mechanism except for the lever, and a generally locked outer door enclosing the lever but allowing access thereto by way of a breakable glass plate. The present invention provides improved means for actuating the lever which employs a card having a magnetic pattern formed therein, the card identifying the user. The card fits through a slot in the outer door to engage a magnetic lock interior thereof. The lock has a card receptacle which is fully engageable only by the card having the preselected magnetic pattern. Upon such full engagement of the card, means are provided for activating the lever to activate the signaling mechanism. The card is then captured by apparatus located within the outer door so that the card cannot be removed until the firemen arrive.

United States Patent McNair et a1.

1 1 May 20, 1975 Primary Examiner-John W. Caldwell AssistantExaminerWilliam M. Wannisky Attorney, Agent, or Ft'rm-Townsend andTownsend [57] ABSTRACT An improved alarm box for signaling an alarm at atire station or other remote location is disclosed. Such alarm boxesgenerally have a lever actuated signaling mechanism enclosed within thebox, an inner door enclosing the signaling mechanism except for thelever, and a generally locked outer door enclosing the lever butallowing access thereto by way of a breakable glass plate. The presentinvention provides improved means for actuating the lever which employsa card having a magnetic pattern formed therein, the card identifyingthe user. The card fits through a slot in the outer door to engage amagnetic lock interior thereof. The lock has a card receptacle which isfully engageable only by the card having the preselected magneticpattern. Upon such full engagement of the card, means are provided foractivating the lever to activate the signaling mechanism. The card isthen captured by apparatus located within the outer door so that thecard cannot be removed until the firemen arrive.

5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 1 1 FIRE ALARM BOX [76] Inventors: RobertBruce McNair, 42 Hayward Ave.; Raymond J. Gallagher, 731 Oregon Ave.,both of San Mateo, Calif. 94401 [22] Filed: Oct. 2, 1973 [2]] Appl. No.:402,873

[52] US. Cl. 340/304; 340/301; 340/149 A; 317/134; 235/617 B; ZOO/61.59;200/42 R; 194/4 R [51] Int. Cl. G08b 25/00 [58] Field of Search 340/301,304, 149 A; 194/4 F, 17', 317/134; 235/617 B; 200/42 R, 61.59

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 388,631 8/1888 Chase 340/301472,983 4/1892 Chase 340/301 X 2,914,746 11/1959 James 340/149 A3,154,761 10/1964 O'Gorman 340/149 A 3,215,903 11/1965 Barney 317/1343,262,124 7/1966 Albiani 235/6l.7 B 3,353,006 11/1967 Pollock et a1340/149 A X 3,629,834 12/1971 Randall et a1 340/149 A Ill SHEET 1 U? 3FIRE ALARM INSERT CARD AR ROW SIDE UP ,/12

FATENTED ancrzoms 7%. 88 5 236 sum 2 BF 3 PATENTEBHAYZOiU/S SHEH 3 Of-JOHN JONE$ FIRE ALARM Box BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The presentinvention relates to an improved fire alarm box designed to reduce thefrequency of false alarms.

In urban locations a large number of fire alarm boxes are generallyprovided both on street corners and in public buildings, apartmentbuildings and similar locations. These alarm boxes generally containmechanical mechanisms for sending a telegraphic or radio code to thefire station which identifies the box which has been activated. It haslong been thought that it was essential to provide unrestricted accessto these alarm boxes, and as a result such boxes usually have either anexposed lever, or a lever covered with a glass barrier which can bebroken to activate the alarm.

The problem with such alarm boxes is that by making the devices easilyaccessible so that fires can be rapidly reported by anyone, the alarmbox has become an open invitation to pranksters, and a substantialportion of the fire departments time is taken up in responding to falsealarms. Such a situation results in a substantial economic waste, andgreatly decreases the efficiency of the fire department when a realemergency occurs. Also, the morale of the fire department issubstantially reduced by knowledge that a large portion of the alarmsare the result of pranksters, and that in exposing themselves to thesubstantial hazards of rapidly responding to an alarm, the alarm isquite likely false.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a mechanismwhich will reduce the frequency of false alarms in certain situation Thepresent invention provides a means for operating a standard alarm box bya card having a preselected magnetic pattern formed therein. Such boxescan be placed on the floors of apartment buildings, in specific sectionsof a neighborhood, and other similar locations, and the residentsthereof can be provided with the necessary cards. These cards will havethe identification of the holder thereon, and when the card is used toactivate the alarm, it will be captured and cannot be removed until thefiremen arrives.

One object of the present invention is to provide an alarm box which canonly be operated by an appropriate card or other specialized key. Thisrestricts use of the box to residents of the particular neighborhood oroccupants of a single apartment building. Since the card is captured bythe alarm box, and identifies the user, it is highly unlikely that falsealarms will be reported. As a result, it will be known to the firedepartment that any alarm coming from that particular box is almostcertainly a true alarm. The fire department will thus be given addedincentive to reply promptly to that alarm giving much greater securityto occupiers of a building or neighborhood provided with the alarmsystem of the present invention.

An object of the preferred embodiment of the pres ent invention is toprovide an alarm box which can be activated by a card as opposed to akey. Such a card can easily be carried in the holders wallet along withcredit cards and the like so that the holder will ordinarily have thecard on his person. Hence, the card will be available for use when it isrequired even in an emergency situation. Another advantage of the use ofthe card over the key is that the flat surface of the card willgenerally retain the finger prints of the last user. In this manner,even if the card is lost or stolen, a means will be provided foridentifying the person activating the alarm.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a mechanismwhich can be simply added to existing fire alarm equipment. The presentinvention is designed to operate in connection with standardlever-actuated equipment, providing only an improved mechanism foroperating the lever which is already a part of the alarm box.

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of theinvention, both as to organization and method of operation, togetherwith further objects and advantages thereof will be better understoodfrom the following description considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the inventionis illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood,however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration anddescription only and are not intended as a definition of the limits ofthe invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of thealarm box of the present invention with the outer door closed;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the alarm box of FIG. 1illustrating the outer door open and the inner door partially cut awayto illustrate the signaling mech anism;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the alarm box of FIGS. 1 and 2with the outer door open to illustrate the slide bar mechanism on theinner door;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the inner door illustrating the meansfor releasing the slide bar;

FIG. 5 is a top fragmentary view of the magnetic lock assembly;

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view illustrating the movement of theslide bar.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The exterior configuration ofthe alarm box of the present invention is illustrated by way ofreference to FIG. 1. Fire alarm box 10 has the conventional roofedconfiguration illustrated with an outer door 12 at the front. The alarmbox 10 illustrated is mounted on a post 14, but can be mounted in anytraditional manner. Conventional fire boxes are provided with either aglass portion at the front which can be broken to expose a lever, orwith a lever which merely projects through the outer door. However, withthe present invention, outer door 12 is solid with the exception of anarrow slot 16. A card 18 similar to a credit card is adapted to projectthrough slot 16 to a position partially interior of the outer door 12 toactivate the alarm. Card 18 is preferably provided with anidentification 20 of the holder of the card.

The interior of fire alarm box 10 is illustrated by way of reference toFIG. 2 wherein outer door 12 is open and inner door 30 is partially cutaway. A signaling mechanism 32 is contained within the fire box 10, andis adapted to send a telegraphic signal to a fire station or otherremote location when lever 34 is depressed. This type of signalingmechanism is illustrated in US. Pat. Nos. 1,294,053 and l,999,859, andis well known in the art. Normally, lever 34 projects through inner door30 and is disposed behind a glass plate in outer door 14. Some alarmboxes known in the art allow lever 34 to project completely throughouter door 14. How ever, lever 34 in the present invention is fullyenclosed by outer door 14, and the actuation of the lever isaccomplished by the insertion of card 18 into magnetic lock 36. Thistype of magnetic lock is illustrated in US Pat. No. 3,611,763. A keyoperated lock 38 is provided on outer door 14 so that lever 34 cannot bedirectly operated other than by a fireman who has the proper key, or byinsertion of the proper magnetic card 18.

The mechanism by which card 18 operates lever 34 is illustrated byviewing FIGS. 3 and 4 in combination. A slide bar 40 is slideable alongand supported by a downwardly opening sleeve 42 mounted on the outersurface of inner door 30. Prior to activation (as illustrated in FIG.3), lever 34 is inset in a recess in the lower lateral edge of slide bar40. A rotatable cam fol lower 44 is mounted on the end of lever 34 andis in engagement with the lower lateral ledge of slidebar 40. A spring46 is extended prior to actuation of slidebar 40 to bias the slidebarinto sliding motion relative to lever 34.

Magnetic lock 36, which is fully engageable only by the magnetic card 18which has the proper magnetic pattern formed therein, projects throughinner door 30 and is aligned with slot 16 in outer door 14. The propermagnetic pattern for the card is determined by a re placeable mastercard 48 insertable in the upper por tion of magnetic lock 36. The lockis designed so that any card not having the proper magnetic pattern isblocked by lock 36, and only the proper card will fully engage the cardreceptacle portion 37 of the lock. Card 18 passes completely through thecard receptacle portion 37 of magnetic lock 36 when fully engaged tocontact and move L-shaped member 50. L-shaped member 50 is internallyconnected to a pin 52 so that full engagement of card 18 moves pin 52 tothe left as illustrated in H0. 4. Pin 52 fits into a slot 54 inhorizontal member 56 (see FIG. so that full engagement of card 18 moveshorizontal member 56 to the left (FIG. 4). Horizontal member 56 isattached to the lower end of an elongate member 58 which depends fromattachment 60 on the interior of inner door 30.

A pin 62, mounted near the center of member 58, projects through anaperture 64 in inner wall to engage slidebar 40. Pin 62 is adapted toproject through the aperture in slidebar to normally prevent sliding ofthe slidebar relative to lever 34. Pin 62 is transversely moveable andhas a flange 66 in abutment with solid piece 68 connected to dependingmember 58 so that movement of the depending member responsively toinsertion of card 18 disengages pin 62 from slidebar 40 to allow slidingof the slidebar. When slidebar 40 is being replaced for resetting thealarm box, pin 62 will be biased by spring 70 into re'engagement withthe aperture in the slidebar for easy resetting of the device. Also,depending member 58 is normally biased by spring 72 and pin 52 by spring74 to maintain pin 62 in engagement with the aperture in slidebar 40.

Referring back to FIG. 3, the impaler assembly 80 of the presentinvention is illustrated in the retracted position prior to activationof the alarm by card 18. Impaler 80 has two upwardly directed members 82mounted on a horizontal platform 84. Platform 84 is confined to verticalmotion by means of posts 86 which pass through apertures in thehorizontal platform Springs 88 are mounted circumferentially over posts86 and are compressed between platform 84 and a horizontal plate 90 tobias the horizontal platform upwardly.

Upward motion of horizontal platform 84 is normally prevented byrotatable catch 92 which engages horizontal platform 84. A pivot member94 is pivotably attached to catch 92 at one end and a vertical arm 96 atthe other end. Member 96 is confined to vertical motion by bracket 98.Vertical member 96 has a cam portion 100 at its upper end in abutmentwith cam follower 44 on the end of lever 34. Prior to actuation of lever34 by magnetically coded card 18, vertical member 96 is biased upwardlyby spring I02 to maintain catch 92 in position over horizontal platform84.

The operation of the slidebar 40 in activating lever 34 is illustratedby way of reference to FIG. 6. The position of the slidebar prior toactuation is illustrated in phantom by 40, the position of the slidebarafter actuation being denoted as 40. Slidebar 40 is moved from position40' to position 40 along downwardly opening sleeve 42 by spring 46 whenthe pin is disengaged from aperture 64 in the slidebar. Disengagement ofthe pin from aperture 64 is accomplished by insertion of the proper card18 into magnetic lock 36 as heretofore il lustrated.

The lower lateral edge of slidebar 40 is formed in the shape of a camsurface 110. Cam surface is inclined downwardly to depress cam follower44 at the end of lever 34 as slidebar 40 moves from position 40 toposition 40, thereby depressing the lever.

Depression of cam follower 44 also depresses the cam follower portion100 of vertical member 96, thereby urging the member downwardly. Thisdownward movement causes catch 92 to slide off horizontal platform 84 bythe pivotal connection with member 94. Platform 84 is forced upwardly bycompressed springs 88 along posts 86. Springs 88 are sufficiently strongso that pointed members 82 are projected through fully engaged card 18to impale the card on the pointed members. The impaler assembly 80 islocated interior of the outer door of the tire alarm box so that card 18cannot be removed by other than the fireman having the proper key tounlock the outer door.

In operation, the alarm box is preset in the configuration illustratedin FIG. 3. Slidebar 40 is moved to the right against spring 46 untilspring loaded pin 62 en gages aperture 64 in the slidebar. Lever 34 isthen moved upwardly into the cocked position with cam follower 44 inabutment with the lower cam surface 110 of slidebar 40. The alarm box isthen ready for use, and outer door 12 is closed and locked.

The signaling mechanism 32 of alarm box 10 is activated by a personhaving a card 18 having the proper magnetic code formed therein. Theproper code is determined by master card 48. Card 18 has a means 20 ofidentifying the user, and also provides a flat surface for easilypicking up fingerprints if the card has been lost or stolen,

The card receptacle portion 37 of the magnetic lock 36 is fullyengageable only by the proper card 18. Such full engagement movesL-shaped member 50 backwardly to move pin 52 against the tension ofspring 74. Such movement of pin 52 moves horizontal member 56, thereforerotating depending member 58 away from the inner surface of inner wall30. This movement of depending member 58 disengages pin 62 from theaperture 64 in slidebar 40, allowing sliding movement of the slidebarresponsive to spring 46. When slidebar 40 moves, cam surface 110 on thelower edge thereof depresses cam follower 44 on the end of lever 34 toactivate the lever which controls signaling mechanism 32.

Depression of cam follower 44 also depresses the cam follower portion100 of vertical members 96 to re lease catch 92 retaining horizontalplatform 84. Release of horizontal platform 84 allows pointed members 82to be projected upwardly to impale fully engaged card 18 so that itcannot be removed.

After the fireman responds to the fire, outer door 14 can be unlockedand the impaling assembly 80 disen gaged from card 18. Card 18 can thenbe removed and examined to determine the person who activated the alarm.This procedure will ensure that only genuine alarms are sounded. greatlyreducing the frequency of false alarms.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been set forth indetail, it is apparent that modifications and adaptations of thatembodiment will occur to those skilled in the art. For example, it isquite likely that the mechanism disclosed herein could be used on othertypes of alarms, such as burglar alarms, police alarms and so forth.Also, it is apparent that alternative embodiments to the card mechanism,e.g., a key mechanism wherein the key is captured, could be employed.However, it is to be expressly understood that such modifications andadaptations are within the spirit and scope of the present invention, asset forth in the following claims.

What I claim as new is:

1. In an alarm box for signaling an alarm at a fire station or otherremote location, said alarm box having a lever actuated signalingmechanism enclosed within the box, an inner door enclosing the signalingmechanism with the lever projecting through said inner door, and agenerally locked outer door enclosing the lever, means for actuating thelever which comprises:

a card having a preselected magnetic pattern formed therein;

a slot formed through the outer door and adapted to allow passage of thecard through said outer door;

a magnetic lock interior to the outer door and projecting through theinner door, said lock having a card receptacle designed to be solelyfully engageable by the card having the preselected magnetic pattern;

means for actuating the lever to activate the signaling mechanismresponsive to fully engagement of the card receptacle by the card; and

means for capturing the card upon full engagement of the cardreceptacle, said capture means being manually operable to release thecaptured card, said capture means located within the outer door tonecessitate unlocking and opening of said outer door to manually releasesaid card.

2. An alarm box as recited in claim 1 wherein the means for actuatingthe lever to activate the signaling mechanism comprises a cam followeron the free end of the lever, a slideable bar mounted on the inner door,one lateral edge of said slidebar providing an elongate cam surfaceadapted to abut the cam follower, said cam surface adapted to depressthe cam follower to actuate the lever upon sliding of the bar. meansbiasing the bar into sliding movement in one direction. means releasablyretaining said slideable bar in a fixed position to prevent sliding ofsaid slideable bar responsively to said bias means, and means fordisengaging said retaining means responsive to full engagement of thecard receptacle by the card to allow sliding of said slide-able bar toactivate the lever.

3. An alarm box as recited in claim 2 wherein the slideable bar has asmall aperture formed thereth rough, and wherein the means releasablyretaining said slideable bar comprises a pin adapted to project throughand engage the aperture in the slideable bar, and wherein the means fordisengaging said retaining means comprises an arm depending from theinterior of the inner door, said arm having a first end attached to theinner door and a second end intermediate the card re ceptacle so thatinsertion of the card having the preselected magnetic pattern formedtherein into full en gagement with the card receptacle forces saidsecond end of the arm away from the inner door, said pin being mountedintermediate the first and second ends of said arm so that movement ofthe second end of said arm away from the inner door moves said pin outof engagement with the aperture in the slideable bar to release saidslideable barv 4. In an alarm box for signaling an alarm at a firestation or other remote location, said alarm box having a signalingmechanism within the box for transmitting a coded signal to the remotelocation which identifies the alarm box location when said mechanism isactivated, and a door enclosing the signaling mechanism, improved meansfor actuating the signaling mechanism, which comprises:

a card having a preselected magnetic pattern formed therein;

a slot formed through the door and adapted to allow passage of the cardthrough said door;

a magnetic lock mounted interior to the door, said lock having a cardreceptacle designed to be fully engaged solely by the card having thepreselected magnetic pattern;

means for activating the signaling mechanism responsive to fullengagement of the card receptacle by the card;

means for capturing the card upon full engagement of the card receptacleto prevent disengagement of said card from said receptacle; and

means for releasing the captured card, said releasing means locatedinterior to the door to necessitate opening of said door to remove saidcard.

5. An alarm box as recited in claim 4 wherein the means for capturingthe card comprises a rigid member interior of said door and having asharply pointed portion directed at said card upon full engagement ofsaid card receptacle by said card, means for biasing said pointed leverat said card, restraining means adapted to generally prevent movement ofsaid pointed member toward said card, and means for disengaging said restraining means upon full engagement of said card receptacle by saidcard to allow the pointed portion of said rigid member to impale saidcard to prevent with drawal of said card,

1. In an alarm box for signaling an alarm at a fire station or otherremote location, said alarm box having a lever actuated signalingmechanism enclosed within the box, an inner door enclosing the signalingmechanism with the lever projecting through said inner door, and agenerally locked outer door enclosing the lever, means for actuating thelever which comprises: a card having a preselected magnetic patternformed therein; a slot formed through the outer door and adapted toallow passage of the card through said outer door; a magnetic lockinterior to the outer door and projecting through the inner door, saidlock having a card receptacle designed to be solely fully engageable bythe card having the preselected magnetic pattern; means for actuatingthe lever to activate the signaling mechanism responsive to fullyengagement of the card receptacle by the card; and means for capturingthe card upon full engagement of the card receptacle, said capture meansbeing manually operable to release the captured card, said capture meanslocated within the outer door to necessitate unlocking and opening ofsaid outer door to manually release said card.
 2. An alarm box asrecited in claim 1 wherein the means for actuating the lever to activatethe signaling mechanism comprises a cam follower on the free end of thelever, a slideable bar mounted on the inner door, one lateral edge ofsaid slidebar providing an elongate cam surface adapted to abut the camfollower, said cam surface adapted to depress the cam follower toactuate the lever upon sliding of the bar, means biasing the bar intosliding movement in one direction, means releasably retaining saidslideable bar in a fixed position to prevent sliding of said slideablebar responsively to said bias means, and means for disengaging saidretaining means responsive to full engagement of the card receptacle bythe card to allow sliding of said slideable bar to activate the lever.3. An alarm box as recited in claim 2 wherein the slideable bar has asmall aperture formed therethrough, and wherein the means releasablyretaining said slideable bar comprises a pin adapted to project throughand engage the aperture in the slideable bar, and wherein the means fordisengaging said retaining means comprises an arm depending from theinterior of the inner door, said arm having a first end attached to theinner door and a second end intermediate the card receptacle so thatinsertion of the card having the preselected magnetic pattern formedtherein into full engagement with the card receptacle forces said secondend of the arm away from the inner door, said pin being mountedintermediate the first and second ends of said arm so that movement ofthe second end of said arm away from the inner door moves said pin outof engagement with the aperture in the slideable bar to release saidslideable bar.
 4. In an alarm box for signaling an alarm at a firestation or other remote location, said alarm box having a signalingmecHanism within the box for transmitting a coded signal to the remotelocation which identifies the alarm box location when said mechanism isactivated, and a door enclosing the signaling mechanism, improved meansfor actuating the signaling mechanism, which comprises: a card having apreselected magnetic pattern formed therein; a slot formed through thedoor and adapted to allow passage of the card through said door; amagnetic lock mounted interior to the door, said lock having a cardreceptacle designed to be fully engaged solely by the card having thepreselected magnetic pattern; means for activating the signalingmechanism responsive to full engagement of the card receptacle by thecard; means for capturing the card upon full engagement of the cardreceptacle to prevent disengagement of said card from said receptacle;and means for releasing the captured card, said releasing means locatedinterior to the door to necessitate opening of said door to remove saidcard.
 5. An alarm box as recited in claim 4 wherein the means forcapturing the card comprises a rigid member interior of said door andhaving a sharply pointed portion directed at said card upon fullengagement of said card receptacle by said card, means for biasing saidpointed lever at said card, restraining means adapted to generallyprevent movement of said pointed member toward said card, and means fordisengaging said restraining means upon full engagement of said cardreceptacle by said card to allow the pointed portion of said rigidmember to impale said card to prevent withdrawal of said card.